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A Little Bit of Passion

by Beate Boeker (Goodreads Author)

3.56 of 5 stars 3.56 · rating details · 18 ratings · 11 reviews

Karen Larsen calls herself a modern gypsy because she has split her life into two perfect halves. In winter, she's a skiing instructor in the Teton Mountain Range; in summer, she works at the bookstore she owns on Long Island, New York. But one Easter holiday, John Bermett and his son Gerry join her skiing group, and her perfectly balanced universe is shaken. John is the o

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Hardcover, 186 pages

Published April 1st 2011 by Montlake Romance

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Sep 27, 2011 Jayne Ormerod rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first thing that is amazing about this book is that the author is German, yet her English voice is so rich it melts in your mouth like a particularly thick slab of fudge. The second thing that is amazing is that the entire book is nothing more than an exchange of emails. And not even between the heroine and the hero, but between the heroine and her best friend. As we all know, there are things you can tell your best friend that you would never reveal (sometimes not even to yourself) to a new...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Always be independent, a lesson drilled into Karen by her mother, threatens to undermine Karen’s chance at true love and happiness. Even considering a different life style scares her beyond belief. She is content with minimalistic living space—a tiny attic room in the winter and a small trailer near the ocean in the summer. They make her feel cozy and protected. After a failed marriage, she treasures her independence and has no desire to be tied down with material things.

She is okay with her gy...more Always be independent, a lesson drilled into Karen by her mother, threatens to undermine Karen’s chance at true love and happiness. Even considering a different life style scares her beyond belief. She is content with minimalistic living space—a tiny attic room in the winter and a small trailer near the ocean in the summer. They make her feel cozy and protected. After a failed marriage, she treasures her independence and has no desire to be tied down with material things.

She is okay with her gypsy style life, but as a ski instructor on the pristine ski slopes of the Tetons, Karen meets all kinds of people, but keeps her distance most of the time. However, the loud-mouthed man that she silently calls “Turtle” is hard to avoid since he is in her class and totally obnoxious with his sexual innuendos and antics. But the handsome, sensitive John Bennett and his teenage son Gerry offset the undesirable, creepy “Turtle”. They create a feeling deep inside Karen that she has never known before. The magnitude of the feeling scares her.

When her plans fall through for her summer trip, John and Gerry ask her to come for a visit in Seattle where they live. She remembers Seattle as a wet, dreary place that she hated, but she longs to spend time with John. She finds herself in an alien, rich, opulent world that she fears will swallow her up. Her independence is threatened. Yet, she knows she loves John and his son like she has never loved before. When John proposes, Karen runs to her Long Island home where she and her best friend Leslie own a bookstore. She has to think and gain perspective.

Leslie, Karen’s confidant as well as her business partner vacations in Seattle. Things get complicated. While Karen and Leslie email each other almost daily, they fail to communicate about important things—things that seem destined to destroy Karen’s chance to love and be loved. She fears John prefers Leslie over her from what Leslie writes in her emails.

Some of the secondary characters make life difficult for the main character, but little Ben, even with the chicken pox, is an absolute darling who sees right into Karen’s aching heart and offers to marry her himself. He is a sparkling bright spot in the story and creates humor that lifts the spirit.

A Little Bit of Passion is a series of emails that tell the story. These emails, whether sent or not, reveal that Leslie and Karen have a unique tie. But they fail to communicate information Karen needs to keep her heart from breaking. Her outpouring of her hopes, fears, and despair pulls the reader into her world, while Leslie’s shorter missives keeps one from really knowing her. This format made me feel like I was on the outside looking in on the action much of the time, and I wanted to know more about the characters. However, some of the descriptions are breathtaking and give the reader a sense of being right in the snow that glistens, in the multi-colored glow of the sunsets and in the cozy attic room. One can almost feel the damp of Seattle, the cold in the Tetons, and so much more.

A Little Bit of Passion is somewhat of a play on words because Karen, John, and Gerry reach out for life with all their energy and ability. They are passionate about life and what they do. One wants them to have the very best life possible, and little Ben, while filching John’s orange mousse, sets things straight so that special happy-ever-after can happen.

Originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...(less)

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Apr 21, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

"It's funny how an expression in the eyes of the person opposite you can make you glow and make you think you're beautiful and witty. It's scary too." I can totally relate, can't you? You're on a date, and the way he looks at you makes your insides flutter and your heartbeat resound in your ears. You feel flushed whenever his glance encompasses you....you are the most beautiful girl in the room. This is how Karen Larsen feels when she's out with John Bernett, a feeling that is so wonderful, yet...more "It's funny how an expression in the eyes of the person opposite you can make you glow and make you think you're beautiful and witty. It's scary too." I can totally relate, can't you? You're on a date, and the way he looks at you makes your insides flutter and your heartbeat resound in your ears. You feel flushed whenever his glance encompasses you....you are the most beautiful girl in the room. This is how Karen Larsen feels when she's out with John Bernett, a feeling that is so wonderful, yet so alarming.

Karen has a wonderfully happy life. In the winter, she is a ski instructor in Wyoming and in the summer she works at the bookstore she co-owns on Long Island, New York. She is content to live in a small trailer in the summer and in a tiny attic room in the winter. These small spaces make her feel safe and secure. Karen loves the outdoors, her face glowing at the sight of a sunset and her heart content with the breath-taking view from the mountains. Then along comes John and Karen's world is shaken. There is a definite mutual attraction between the two that scares her. How can her life stay the same if she lets this man into her world? How could she possibly maintain her carefree lifestyle with a man whose world is so different than hers? But soon, Karen realizes "how empty a place can be when just one person is missing".

Although this was a very short read, it was a good one. It is a story told entirely through a set of emails written between Karen and her best friend Leslie. These emails not only reveal the story, but they are the means by which Karen muddles through her emotions and tries to make sense of her feelings for John. At first, I thought this style would distract me, but I quickly got used to the format and began to sink into the storyline. Some of the emails written by Leslie were quite short, leaving me wanting to know more about her character and her relationship with Karen. I also wanted more of John and Karen together. Karen's feelings for John are revealed in her correspondences but I wanted to hear more from John himself, and simply not what Karen relayed through her emails. The author does a great job of relaying some vivid descriptions of the landscape, making me feel that I was right there on the mountaintop, feeling the wind in my face or the sunshine on my skin. I wanted Karen to take a chance on love, and was happy to see her taking some risks midway through the book. But at times, I was frustrated with her when she retreated back into that space within her self. Yet, I was touched when she revealed her mistakes to Ben, the young boy who visited her often at the bookstore. I think what touched me even more was his innocent, yet so enlightening reply:

He wrinkled his freckled and spotted nose like some benighted guru and said, "You know how I know? You look like Granny when my granddad died."
Lovely comparison.
"It's because I was stupid," I explained. "I love somebody very much, but I didn't believe in it, and that's why I destroyed it. And it's all my own fault."
He nodded. "Like when I washed my crocodile, and all the stuffing came out, and Mom said I shouldn't have done it, only I thought it would be all right because a crocodile lives in the water, doesn't it?" That was when I smiled. "Yeah. Just like that," I said. "I washed the stuffing out of John."

"A Little Bit of Passion" is about characters who are passionate about life and who learn how to make room in their lives for the oldest of all passions....that which we call love.(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Little Bit of Passion focuses on emails exchanged between Karen Larsen and her best friend Leslie. While Leslie more short emails, Karen has an easy flow to her writing the got me right into the story. Just a couple emails and it felt like I was sitting at a table listening to a conversation between two friends.

Of course, the two friends are fun to listen to. Leslie’s vivaciousness comes through easily and she encourages Karen to open up so the readers get in on all the good stuff.

I thought I...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Yvonne rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book simply because it was short and sweet. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book where the main characters were carefree enough to just enjoy life and the surprises that came along with it. The story is about lasting friendships and finding love in the most unexpected places.

The story mostly centers around two best friends, Karen and Leslie. The friends are never in the same place at the same time so they keep in touch through their daily emails. At first I thought that this wo...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Melanie Coombes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

A Little Bit of Passion was a fun, entertaining read. Karen prides herself on her independence and free spirit. During the winter, she is a ski instructor and in the summer months she is co-owner of a book store in Long Island. After going through a divorce, Karen is happy with her life, her small living spaces and her care free, gypsy style existence. But all of that is threatened when she meets John.
Like most of us, Karen is skeptical that a relationship with a man who has a completely differ...more

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Oct 22, 2011 AJ Best rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am a stalker! (Not really.) I enjoy reading other people’s emails and getting an insite into the honest human mind. I guess it’s a good thing that Beate wrote this book.
Karen is such a lovable and relatable character. Her highs and lows touch your heart and soul. When she meets the man of her dreams and fights the stress that goes along with her fears, your heart swells and grows with the heartwarming emotions that Ms. Boeker inspires. When she falls in love, your heart is taken on that leap...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-goal, general-fiction

I am really picky when it comes to books. I'm not a big romance reader, but I devour Chick-Lit. So it has to have a perfect balance. "A Little Bit of Passion" is one of those books who hit the mark right on the head.

Karen's last promise to her dying mother was to never become dependent on a man. That's why she is a self-declared rooted-gypsy, who juggles two seasonal jobs as a ski instructor in Wyoming and a part bookstore owner in the Hamptons. But when she meets a charming man and his loveable...more I am really picky when it comes to books. I'm not a big romance reader, but I devour Chick-Lit. So it has to have a perfect balance. "A Little Bit of Passion" is one of those books who hit the mark right on the head.

Karen's last promise to her dying mother was to never become dependent on a man. That's why she is a self-declared rooted-gypsy, who juggles two seasonal jobs as a ski instructor in Wyoming and a part bookstore owner in the Hamptons. But when she meets a charming man and his loveable teenage son on their trip to her ski house, everything Karen has ever own gets completely flipped upside down.

I'm giving this book a 4.5 star rating. The book is an epistolary short novel, written between two best friends, Karen and Leslie. Karen is giving skiing instructions in Wyoming, while Leslie runs their bookstore on Long Island. (I understand that Karen considers herself a gypsy, but why Wyoming? There are plenty of ski resorts in PA and Vermont! lol) Anyway, since most of the book is written by Karen, you see a lot of "Dear Leslie", so the name Leslie stuck to me more than the name "Karen" did. Though Karen did an excellent job with her story telling, I wish there was a little more correspondence from Leslie, otherwise the premise of an email-written story seems a bit... well, unnecessary. But I'm nit picking.

The other things I wish would have happened in the book was a more final conclusion to "the Turtle" arc (a regular attendee of Karen's lessons who has a weird and quite possessive and startlingly creepy infatuation with her) as it seemed to end kind of abruptly.

Other than that... I loved this book! It was a quick read (almost too quick!) and the emotions were real and raw. I loved the "unsent" emails Karen writes toward the end of the book (I'll try to talk about this without giving anything away), as it really develops a great plot line while gaining insight to Karen's feelings and how she is evolving.

Overall, a great summer read and I will definitely have to look into Beate Boeker's other works.(less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars

A clever story told via email messages between two friends. Karen's dealing with a new class of skiers. Among them are the annoying Turtle and young Gerry and his dad, John. Allowing bestie Leslie into her complicated world seems like a good idea at the time, but insecurity, jealousy, and past relationships cloud the friendship and the budding romance. Uniquely written and heart melting.

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Sep 05, 2011 Sachki rated it 1 of 5 stars

ok book too many emails i was left wanting more

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Sep 11, 2011 Becca Boschee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love Beate Boeker's humorous voice, and A Little Bit of Passion was no exception. This book was structured entirely of emails written between Karen and her best friend while Karen struggled to hold on to her hard earned independence while falling in love. The setting in the Tetons is beautifully written and will have you wishing you were there!

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Shelves: avalon

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Shelves: read-in-2012, paper, owned

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About Beate Boeker

I love books with touches of humor and mischief. It doesn't matter if they're romances or mysteries or biographies - as long as they make me chuckle, count me in.

Here's my official bio:
Beate Boeker is a marketing manager by day and a writer by night. She has a degree in International Business Administration and her daily experience in marketing continuously provides her with a wide range of fodder...more

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